From books on drinks you can mix at home in a minute, to a stunner that transports you to the home of Scotch, there’s a lot for the curious drinker to read this fall. Here are seven books that recently have been published or will come out in the next few weeks.
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Professional bartender Bryan Paiement’s “The Little Book of Whiskey Cocktails” (University Press of Kentucky, $14.95) answers questions like, does bourbon have to come from Kentucky? And, why do we use both “whiskey” and “whisky”? The pocket-sized tome includes 40 classic recipes and 10 of Paiment’s own creations. Each recipe comes with anecdotes, jokes and pertinent cocktail lore. Mixing a drink with the brief, easy instructions makes you feel immersed in the cocktail scene.
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Without New Orleans, there would be no Sazerac, vieux carré or Ramos gin fizz. Bartender-restaurateur Neal Bodenheimer and writer-editor Emily Timberlake tell the story of the Louisiana city through cocktails in “Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em” (Abrams Books, $29.99, Oct. 25). The book includes more than 100 recipes, complete with the lore behind them and techniques to perfect drinks that range from bittered slings to fizzes. Flipping the pages, you’ll be reminded of the music and good times of the vibrant city.
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What’s the perfect cocktail for International Mountain Day or National Poetry Day? Find the answers in “Cheers to Today: 365 Cocktails, Because Every Day Is a Holiday” (Countryman Press, $25, Oct. 25). Writer-bartender Chris Vola provides a recipe (and a reason to clink glasses) for every day of the year. Impress your crew on Thanksgiving with apple cider mojitos, or get set for Antarctica Day with a fuzzy penguin.
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Dave Broom writes about his native Scotland in “A Sense of Place: A Journey Around Scotland’s Whisky” (Mitchell Beazley, $50). It’s a spirits, travel and coffee-table book all in one, with stunning photography by Christina Kernohan. After reading this book, you will want to visit the coopers, blenders and coppersmiths of the 140 distilleries operating in Scotland. It is a work of art.
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“Crushed: How a Changing Climate Is Altering the Way We Drink” (Rowman & Littlefield, $32) tells the story of how wine and spirits are affected by environmental change. Brian Freedman focuses on a different part of the wine and spirits world in each chapter, while diving into the lives of growers and producers coping with a changing climate. This is not a downer of a book, however; it highlights the resourcefulness, ingenuity and passion of producers who make our beloved wines and spirits. Some, like Britain’s sparkling wine industry, are in an upswing along with temperatures.
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Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley are award-winning writers and presenters. Their latest guide, “60-Second Cocktails: Amazing Drinks to Make at Home in a Minute” (Princeton Architectural Press, $24.95, Oct. 18), lays out 60 recipes, separated into three sections: simple and little prep work, those you shake or stir with something added, and drinks with a few special ingredients. Each is color-coded by flavor group, as well as suggestions on suitable occasions, with nifty, simple illustrations.
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In “Bar Menu: 100+ Drinking Food Recipes for Cocktail Hours at Home” (Running Press, $28, Oct. 18) André Darlington writes about food and cocktail pairings in the context of entertaining guests in your home. Along with cocktail recipes, Darlington offers advice on dishes to accompany the drinks. There are fun bits of history, as well as lots of global flavors. He even dedicates a cocktail to James Beard, whose book on hors d’oeuvres and canapes Darlington calls “the post-WWII cocktail bible.” The Beard cocktail, called the JBF, mixes two of his favorites — framboise and vodka — and pairs nicely with onion cocktail sandwiches.
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